After Losing 80 Lbs. with Mounjaro, This Raleigh, N.C. Woman Dressed Up As 'Cowgirl Barbie' For Halloween (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Susan Parsons Chappell.Photo:Courtesy of Susan Parsons Chappell;Alycee ByrdSince college, Susan Parsons Chappell has been all-too familiar with the feeling of shame.“I was constantly judging myself. I was not only ashamed of the way I looked but ashamed of who I was,” she says. “I’d think, ‘If you just had more willpower. If you worked harder . . .’ ’’She dieted (“every diet imaginable”), she exercised, she even had surgery for a gastric sleeve in 2015. “I’d gain weight. I’d lose weight. Then I’d gain it back, no matter what I did,” she says.At one point she reached 275 lbs., and her struggles made it hard to enjoy her birthday, which falls on Halloween: “I never wanted to wear a costume because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.”Susan Parsons Chappell.Alycee ByrdIn 2020 she was 244 lbs. and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Despite medication and working with a nutritionist, she was having trouble controlling the disease. “I felt as if my doctor was blaming me,” she says.“I was finding myself neglecting my care because I was afraid to go to the doctor. I had such anxiety about it.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Susan Parsons Chappell as Cowgirl Barbie.Courtesy of Susan Parsons ChappellShe began to research weight-loss drugs on her own, and in August 2022 set up a telehealth appointment with what’s now known as Weight Watchers Clinic. She was prescribedMounjaro(she gives herself injections weekly) and has since lost 80 lbs., and her blood sugar levels are now in the normal range.“The medication quiets my mind. I was constantly thinking about what I was going to eat,” she says. “Now food is more about fuel, and it’s less about the emotion.”She’s discovered she no longer wants to hide. On her TikTok account (@truthfully1031), she shares food tips (homemade air fryer chicken nuggets are a fave) and workout challenges (she’s walked 1,000 miles since starting her health journey) with her 41k followers.And this year, for Halloween, she dressed up: “I was cowgirl Barbie, and I actually showed my tummy. I enjoyed it so much!”For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.

Susan Parsons Chappell.Photo:Courtesy of Susan Parsons Chappell;Alycee Byrd

Courtesy of Susan Parsons Chappell;Alycee Byrd

Since college, Susan Parsons Chappell has been all-too familiar with the feeling of shame.“I was constantly judging myself. I was not only ashamed of the way I looked but ashamed of who I was,” she says. “I’d think, ‘If you just had more willpower. If you worked harder . . .’ ’’She dieted (“every diet imaginable”), she exercised, she even had surgery for a gastric sleeve in 2015. “I’d gain weight. I’d lose weight. Then I’d gain it back, no matter what I did,” she says.At one point she reached 275 lbs., and her struggles made it hard to enjoy her birthday, which falls on Halloween: “I never wanted to wear a costume because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.”Susan Parsons Chappell.Alycee ByrdIn 2020 she was 244 lbs. and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Despite medication and working with a nutritionist, she was having trouble controlling the disease. “I felt as if my doctor was blaming me,” she says.“I was finding myself neglecting my care because I was afraid to go to the doctor. I had such anxiety about it.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Susan Parsons Chappell as Cowgirl Barbie.Courtesy of Susan Parsons ChappellShe began to research weight-loss drugs on her own, and in August 2022 set up a telehealth appointment with what’s now known as Weight Watchers Clinic. She was prescribedMounjaro(she gives herself injections weekly) and has since lost 80 lbs., and her blood sugar levels are now in the normal range.“The medication quiets my mind. I was constantly thinking about what I was going to eat,” she says. “Now food is more about fuel, and it’s less about the emotion.”She’s discovered she no longer wants to hide. On her TikTok account (@truthfully1031), she shares food tips (homemade air fryer chicken nuggets are a fave) and workout challenges (she’s walked 1,000 miles since starting her health journey) with her 41k followers.And this year, for Halloween, she dressed up: “I was cowgirl Barbie, and I actually showed my tummy. I enjoyed it so much!”For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.

Since college, Susan Parsons Chappell has been all-too familiar with the feeling of shame.

“I was constantly judging myself. I was not only ashamed of the way I looked but ashamed of who I was,” she says. “I’d think, ‘If you just had more willpower. If you worked harder . . .’ ’’

She dieted (“every diet imaginable”), she exercised, she even had surgery for a gastric sleeve in 2015. “I’d gain weight. I’d lose weight. Then I’d gain it back, no matter what I did,” she says.

At one point she reached 275 lbs., and her struggles made it hard to enjoy her birthday, which falls on Halloween: “I never wanted to wear a costume because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.”

Susan Parsons Chappell.Alycee Byrd

Alycee Byrd

In 2020 she was 244 lbs. and diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Despite medication and working with a nutritionist, she was having trouble controlling the disease. “I felt as if my doctor was blaming me,” she says.

“I was finding myself neglecting my care because I was afraid to go to the doctor. I had such anxiety about it.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Susan Parsons Chappell as Cowgirl Barbie.Courtesy of Susan Parsons Chappell

Courtesy of Susan Parsons Chappell

She began to research weight-loss drugs on her own, and in August 2022 set up a telehealth appointment with what’s now known as Weight Watchers Clinic. She was prescribedMounjaro(she gives herself injections weekly) and has since lost 80 lbs., and her blood sugar levels are now in the normal range.

“The medication quiets my mind. I was constantly thinking about what I was going to eat,” she says. “Now food is more about fuel, and it’s less about the emotion.”

She’s discovered she no longer wants to hide. On her TikTok account (@truthfully1031), she shares food tips (homemade air fryer chicken nuggets are a fave) and workout challenges (she’s walked 1,000 miles since starting her health journey) with her 41k followers.

And this year, for Halloween, she dressed up: “I was cowgirl Barbie, and I actually showed my tummy. I enjoyed it so much!”

For more “Beyond the Scale” stories in this week’sPEOPLE, pick up a copy on newsstands Friday.

source: people.com